Michael Eugene Gale (July 18, 1950 – July 31, 2020) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. After graduating from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

's Overbrook High School, Gale, a 6'4"

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, played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public historically black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the Thurgood Ma ...

. He was drafted in the third round of the 1971 NBA draft by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

and by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1971 American Basketball Association draft. Gale opted to play for the Colonels. Gale played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

and American Basketball Association as a member of the Kentucky Colonels (1971–1974), the

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

(1974–1975), the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

(1975–1980), the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

(1980–1981), and the Golden State Warriors (1981–1982). He tallied 6,203 career points to go with 3,146 career assists, and won the 1974 ABA Championship while with the Nets. He was twice named to the ABA’s All-Defensive First Team. Gale died at the age of 70 on July 31, 2020. Nicknamed "Sugar" because his shot was so sweet, as well as "Sticky Fingers" for being able to steal the ball. Settled down in San Antonio, TX.

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1950 births 2020 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Chicago Bulls draft picks Elizabeth City State Vikings basketball players Golden State Warriors players Kentucky Colonels draft picks Kentucky Colonels players New York Nets players Point guards Portland Trail Blazers players San Antonio Spurs players Shooting guards {{1950s-US-basketball-bio-stub